The fire on USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) continues for a third consecutive day. The United States Navy says its crews have made significant progress fighting flames and reducing smoke, but it is still unclear when the fire will be extinguished. There have been 61 injuries; 38 sailors and 23 civilians have been treated mostly for minor injuries related to firefighting. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
President Donald Trump signs legislation and an executive order that will "hold China accountable" for recent "oppressive actions" in Hong Kong by ending its preferential economic status with the United States. (AP)(Reuters)
The Belarusian election commission bars two prominent opposition candidates to current PresidentAlexander Lukashenko from running in the election, ensuring a victory for Lukashenko. The barred candidates are Viktar Babaryka who was disqualified for an open criminal case against him and Valery Tsepkalo whose signatures on a supporting petition were nullified. (Reuters)
Exit polls results show a strong support for young pro-democracy candidates, including independent activist Joshua Wong and League of Social Democrats candidate Jimmy Sham. A spokesperson for the Liaison Office of China in Hong Kong says that the election could be in violation of the new security law and could be nullified. (NHK-World)
The Trump administration reverses its student visa policy, announced on July 6, to deport international students whose courses move fully online. The plan met stiff opposition. At least 59 universities and the attorney generals of 18 states sued to block this directive. Federal district judge Allison Burroughs dismisses the first case brought to court as moot because the federal government has agreed to rescind the policy. (BBC)(USA Today)
The Houthis launch missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia during an overnight attack. The movement claims it successfully hit Saudi warplanes, military installations, an airport and the Jizan oil facility, operated by Aramco. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says they destroyed four missiles and six drones launched against the kingdom from capital of Yemen, Sanaa. (Al Jazeera)
The Taliban attack an intelligence building in Aybak, Samangan Province, leaving 11 people dead and 63 people injured. The attack started with a suicidecar bombing at the government compound and finished after gunmen were killed by Afghan security forces. (Reuters)
Diageo plc announces that Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky will soon be sold in paper bottles. The bottles will be made from wood pulp and will be fully recyclable. A trial run is scheduled for spring 2021. In addition, Diageo is co-launching Pulpex with venture management firm Pilot Lite that will make paper bottles for beverage companies such as Unilever and PepsiCo. (BBC)
California GovernorGavin Newsom orders further restrictions and prohibitions on indoor activities, building on previous orders. California has seen a sustained rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, resulting in the state pausing and rolling back some reopening plans. (CNBC)
Michigan begins tighter restrictions on public face mask usage, including $500 fines for refusal to wear one and the potential loss of business licenses for failure to enforce their usage. (MLive.com)
State media issues an order from the Ministry of Health mandating that all citizens wear masks to combat "dust", and maintain a distance between people of at least one meter (3 feet). The Turkmen government maintains that the country remains free of COVID-19 but refuses to explain the purpose of these mandates. (CTV News)
Federal district judge Tanya S. Chutkan blocks the four federal executions scheduled for July and August including that of Daniel Lewis Lee, whose execution was scheduled for later today per the Chicago U.S. Court of Appeals' ruling Sunday. Judge Chutkan said this will allow continuation of the condemned men’s legal challenges to the new lethal injection protocol. She stated scientific evidence before the court overwhelmingly indicates the 2019 protocol is very likely to cause extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions. The federal government is likely to appeal her ruling. (Reuters)(NPR)
The Washington Redskins announce they are dropping the team nickname and logo after decades of criticism of them being offensive to Native Americans. The new name will be announced later. (AP)(USA Today)
The McClatchy company, one of the largest and most respected American news publishers, announces that hedge fund Chatham Asset Management won its bankruptcy sale in a court-supervised auction. Chatham, which owns the National Enquirer, has been an investor in the company since 2009. Court confirmation, likely at a hearing on July 24, is required. McClatchy has been burdened by heavy debt from its large pension obligations and the acquisition of newspaper chain Knight Ridder. (Reuters)(The New York Times)
The United Nations Security Council approves aid deliveries to northwest Syria through one border crossing with Turkey, a day after its authorization for the six-year-long humanitarian operation ended. Russia and China abstain today on this week's fifth attempt to approve this help. (Reuters)
Police respond to a shooting and hostage situation at a pentecostalchurch in Zuurbekom, Gauteng, South Africa. At least five people are killed. South African police free an undetermined number of hostages, and arrest more than 40 people. Among those arrested were members of the police, defense forces and correctional services. The attackers reportedly were part of a splinter group in a leadership dispute at the long-troubled church. (Reuters)(BBC)(AP)
Serbians protest for a fourth consecutive day; the protest initially started out against the government COVID-19 measures but would morph into anti-government protests. 71 people are arrested. (DW News)
Congolese Justice Minister Celestin Tunda resigns following disputes with PresidentFélix Tshisekedi over Tunda and allies's proposal to allow politicians more control over criminal prosecution cases. (Al Jazeera)
The Indian government asks e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart to display the country of origin on new products listed by sellers on their sites by August 1 and items that were already being sold by October 1 without stipulating a mandatory deadline. The move comes during heightened tensions between India and China following the 2020 China–India skirmishes and a campaign to boycott Chinese-origin products in India. (The Economic Times)
Venice, Italy, tests the MOSE system of 78 mobile floodgates for the first time. Construction of MOSE was authorized by Comitatone, the city's Venetian Lagoon committee, in April 2003. Commissioner Elisabetta Spitz said the project still needs another 18 months of testing. In November 2019, Venice was hit by the worst floods in half a century. (BBC)
Authorities in Kazakhstan deny a report published by Chinese officials alleging that the country is experiencing an outbreak of "unknown pneumonia" potentially deadlier than COVID-19. (CNN)
The bus driver who was left brain dead after being attacked by passengers who refused to wear face masks in Bayonne, France, dies of his injuries. (BBC)
A court in Paris sentences to jail Pierre-Marie H., 69, and Henri M., 73, two former agents from the foreign intelligence service after convicting them of sharing secrets with China, for a 12-year sentence and an eight-year term respectively. (Washington Examiner)
An Afghan government spokesman says it will continue to release Taliban prisoners though disagreement prevails over the release of some 600 of them that are considered a "threat to national security". The Taliban could not be reached for comment and it is not clear whether they are willing to accept to start talks based on the list of prisoners set to be freed. (Reuters)
The United States says it is "deeply concerned" about abuses by state security forces in the Sahel and threatens to cut aid to the G5 nations that form a coalition in the area – Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad – if those issues are not addressed. The U.S. also welcomes a summit to be held between the G5 nations and France and Spain. (Reuters)
President Rodrigo Duterte rejects the prospect of reopening the country during a televised cabinet meeting. He goes on to claim that following the examples of the United States', Brazil's and others' "bold actions" would result in "pandemonium", and the potential resultant spike in COVID-19 cases would land the nation in "deep shit". (Vice)
Indonesia announced the biggest daily rise of 2,657 new COVID-19 cases, taking the nationwide tally to 70,736. West Java reported the highest surge with 962 cases. This significant increase comes from the Army’s Officer Candidate School (Secapa) cluster. (Anadolu Agency)
Nepal decides to block broadcasts of Indian news channels in Nepal with the exception of Doordarshan News, effective immediately. The move comes in the wake of reports on Nepal carried by some Indian news channels, including their allegedly "defamatory shows" on Nepali Prime MinisterKP Sharma Oli along with the Chinese envoy. (Himalayan Times)
In its annual report, Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV warns consumers that personal data they provide to Chinese payment companies or other tech firms, such as Tencent, Alibaba and others, could end up in the hands of China's government. (WREX)